Over Half of US Consumers Prefer DIY Approach to Smart Home Technology

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the drive to take Smart Home technology to new levels of
acceptance, a fresh force is making itself felt: consumers who endorse a
DIY approach to smart devices.

In recent GfK research, more than half (52%) of consumers said they
prefer to install their own Smart Home products – up from 43% in 2015.
And 57% say they want to maintain these devices themselves, compared
to 51% three years ago.

In both cases, nearly all of the study-to-study increase has been driven
by consumers who have a strong preference for DIY. (See Table 1.)

Table 1. Self-installation & self-maintenance of smart home tech

Agree strongly

Agree slightly

2015

2018

2015

2018

Prefer self-install

17%

28%

26%

24%

Prefer self-maintain

20%

25%

31%

32%

The growth of a DIY preference for Smart Home installs is also largely
associated with age; among younger consumers (up to age 44), the desire
to install their own devices and services has grown between 10 and 19
percentage points. (See Table 2.)

Table 2. Prefer to self-install Smart Home products – by age
group

18-24

25-34

35-44

45-54

55+

2015 / 2018 (% points)

+10

+19

+10

+5

+3

This increasing DIY preference among Smart Home consumers also raises
the stakes for manufacturers and service providers. Almost two-thirds
(62%) of those surveyed in 2018 said they expect devices from different
vendors to be able to communicate with each other, with the highest
levels among the 25-to-34 (68%) and 35-to-44 (72%) age groups.

“We cannot say right now if the desire for self-sufficiency is driven by
cost or a true independent streak – but it is definitely a marketplace
force to be reckoned with,” said Tom Neri, Commercial Director for Tech
& Durables at GfK. “Device makers and service providers alike need to
work harder to collaborate and pave the way for seamless installation
and service; reflexive siloed behavior will only drag down acceptance
and yield poor word of mouth from amateur technicians. That said, there
does exist a segment of consumers, skewing older, that would be
responsive to an install and maintenance service support offering for
Smart Home products.”

GfK’s findings are based on 1,000 online interviews with US consumers;
the sample has been balanced by age, gender, and region. Surveys were
completed on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs.

About GfK

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